


Emergency Contact

by callmeonetrack



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Heart-to-Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9384662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmeonetrack/pseuds/callmeonetrack
Summary: When Zak gets in an accident, Lee and Kara meet at the hospital





	

From the moment he got the call, Lee's heart started racing. Panic coursed through him as he broke multiple traffic laws to get to Caprica Veterans. The anti-septic odor familiar to all hospitals invaded Lee's senses as he rushed to the admissions desk, introduced himself and asked about his brother.

A young nurse, her face pinched with wearinesss, said in a not-unkind tone, "He's still in recovery, sir."

Lee tugged a hand through his hair, spiking the short bristles in disarray. "I don't even know- They just said there was an accident and to come right now! Is he-" his voice was sharp and louder than he meant it to be, and Lee forced himself to speak more calmly. "Is he going to be okay?"

Her face softened slightly and she clicked a few times on the keyboard in front of her. A greenish glare was cast on her face as she stared at the monitor. "Zachary tore some of the ligaments in his knee when he crashed, but the surgery seems to have gone well. I'll have the doctor speak with you when she's available, if you'll just have a seat."

Lee nodded, his pulse rate slowing finally, relief flowing through him. It was followed immediately by guilt. This was all his fault. Zak was his responsibility, had been since he was sixteen and Lee was 18 and the transport explosion took their parents. Gods, he should have put his foot down and told him to forget about the frakking military academy! But Zak had been so insistent, said he wanted to honor the memory of their father. He'd taken to heart all that bullshit about a man not being a man till he wore the wings of a viper pilot. And Lee... well, he never could say no to anything. Especially Zak.

All of this churned through his brain as he turned, scanning the packed waiting room with unseeing eyes. Then the nurse leaned toward him, her voice a bit sharper again. "Mr. Adama, sir, we're not supposed to release any information to non-family members, but if you wanted to share the news with your friend, I'd appreciate it."

His brow creased in confusion. "My friend?"

The woman nodded her pointed chin towards the back corner of the room. "She's demanded information at least a dozen times already, though I explained that I can only disclose that to immediately family members." Lee watched the nurse raise one arched eyebrow, her mouth pursing in irritation. "And if you could also inform her that this is a medical facility and there is absolutely no smoking on the premises, I'd be much obliged."

Lee finally followed her gaze. There was a woman in fatigues leaning against one of the vending machines with a cigar clamped between wide lips. Her hair was cut short, almost a pixie, but there was nothing slight about her. Muscular arms crossed over her (ample, Lee noted) chest and her brow was creased in a scowl. A flourescent light behind her made a halo around her silhouette, and Lee just stared for a long minute before his feet started moving.

He stretched out a hand when he got close enough, and the woman--or girl, she couldn't be much older than Zak really-- tracked the gesture with suspicious eyes. "Hi, I'm Lee. Adama, Zak's brother."

She straightened instantly, pulling the cigar from her mouth, and the scowl vanished, a far more tentative expression crossing her face. Lee would almost say she looked scared. "Kara," she said, "Kara Thrace." She didn't offer any further introduction of who she might be to Zak, but she took his hand, and asked breathlessly "Is he okay?"

It took him a second to respond because he got a shock when her palm clasped his, not the buzzing static electricity of skin friction, but something deeper and slower. Warm heat that suffused his veins and slid up his arm and through his body.

"You're Zak's...girlfriend?" He suddenly, fervently hoped the answer is no.

Her eyes widened, a beguiling mix of shifting green and gold, and they slid away from his for just a second, but then snapped back with military precision. "I'm his flight instructor."

That was not a no, and Lee'd been a lawyer long enough to spot evasionary tactics. There was clearly more to this story. He filed that thought away for the moment. "No offense, but you look awfully young to be a flight instructor, Ms. Thrace."

She huffed a short laugh, then grinned wide, and it lit up the girl's entire face, transforming her from fiercely striking to completely breathtaking. Or at least, Lee had to inhale deeply anyway.

"None taken, and it's Lieutenant Thrace, actually. I’m the youngest instructor the Fleet's ever had, and probably the one with the worst disciplinary record too.” She shrugged, that impossibly wide grin still in place, and crinkled her nose, the gesture oddly adorable. “Better to get base duty than busted out, I figured."

Lee was a little lost and it was at least another minute before he realized he was still holding her hand. He let go, and Kara blinked, her face sobering again, “Is Zak going to be okay?"

"I think so. The nurse said he tore some ligaments in his knee but the surgery went well." She blew out a hard breath but didn't look very relieved, and Lee wondered again at the nature of their relationship. "Look, Lieutenant-"

"Kara," she corrected, smiling, and he smiled too.

" _Kara_ , you don't have to stay." It was only politeness that made him say it. Lee’s voice wavered as he added, "It'll probably be awhile before the doctor comes out. I'm sure you have classes or other-"

"I want to," she cut him off, eyes insistent.

Lee nodded, his curiosity growing, and took a quick look around for seats. Every one was full though. Kara must have come to the same conclusion because she leaned back against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. He watched, and after a second Lee followed suit, trying not to think about the fact that this was a brand-new and very expensive suit he was wearing. He settled down, arranged the jacket so it would get the least possible number of wrinkles, and when he finally rested his shoulders back against the wall, Kara was smirking at him.

"What? I hate to iron, okay?"

She just shook her head and took another pull on her cigar, shaping her mouth into a perfect O and sending a fat smoke ring up to the ceiling. "Me too," she said, turning to him and winking.

Lee couldn't help but laugh, his eyes scanning her rumpled double tanks and the cropped fatigues with what looked like paint spatters on one leg. He licked his lips and tried to figure out how to ask what he wanted without it sounding like a cross-examination. "So, you and Zak are... _close_ , I take it?"

Kara rolled her eyes and held out her hand, offering him the cigar. Lee snuck a look at the nurse, but took it anyway. It'd been a long time since he’d done this, but the smoke was rich and sweet in his lungs.

"I'm not screwing your baby brother if that's what you're asking, Adama."

He choked, coughing loudly and drawing more glares from Nurse Pinchedface, as Kara chuckled next to him and reached over to pound his back.

"I just--you're--you seem awfully concerned, if he's just a student," Lee spluttered when he got his breath back.

Kara shrugged. "Zak’s a good kid, and he tries really hard, you know?” Lee did know; he remembered a young Zak, his face red, tongue sticking out between his teeth as he attempted to master a wheelie on his bike that Lee could do with ease. “We’ve been working together after hours-” she pauses, and looks at him, her face grimacing, “ _Not like that_. I mean, he did ask me out, couple times, but I don’t frak students. That shit gets messy.”

Lee didn’t say anything, but he was relieved to hear it...for more than one reason.

“We’ve been working on his flying,” Kara said. “He’s a good stick, just doesn’t have the confidence, you know? And you have to. You gotta have it.” Lee knew this too. He’d seen it a hundred times in the courtroom, some green rookie trying to cross-examine a hostile witness, and ending up looking like a laughing stock. Kara frowned, staring down at the floor, her voice dropping low. “It’s my fault he’s here.”

“What?”

“I let him go up. He wasn’t ready. We should have stuck to the simulators.” She lifted her head, staring straight ahead of her, presumably at the blank wall facing them, but her eyes looked unspeakably sad suddenly. Lee wondered what she was seeing. “But I liked him. I liked his hustle and his heart. He was so damned stubborn about it. Said being a pilot was his dream since he was a little kid,” She shook her head, lips twisting in a half-smile, half-grimace, “and I didn’t want to be the one to crush it.”

Lee should’ve been upset. He should’ve been furious. This woman had just basically confessed her carelessness and culpability in an incident that had endangered not just his brother’s livelihood but his very life. He’d built plenty a case on less.

Instead he found himself reaching over, laying a hand on top of Kara’s to still the fingers drumming nervously on the peeling leather of one of her combat boots. Lee wasn’t thinking about his brother, just that he didn’t want to see that look in her eyes anymore. “Look, Kara, I know my brother. If he was really set on getting up there, he would’ve done it somehow. Maybe even gone without you and gotten hurt worse.”

Her face was incredulous. “He could’ve been killed, _Lee_. Why are you defending me?”

It was Lee’s turn to smile a little. “It’s kind of what I do.”

Kara’s brow creased in confusion and he reached into a pocket, pulling out one of his business cards and handing it to her.

‘I’m a public defender for the colony.”

Her mouth twisted as she read the card. “Oh great. That’s just frakking great.”

“I’m not going to sue you, Kara.”

“Maybe you should. His knee’s busted. We don’t even know how bad. What if--gods--what if he can’t fly anymore?” She said it like it was the worst possible fate in the universe.

Lee squeezed her hand. “Would he have passed the flight check next month?”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.

“So, it doesn’t matter anyway, does it? Look, if anyone’s responsible here, it’s me.” Kara’s head turned and she stared at him with wide, wet eyes. Lee took a breath, only half believing that he was admitting this. “Zak failed the Academy entrance exam. Not by much, just ten points, but... he was devastated.” Lee took a deep breath. “So I called this old war buddy of my father’s, Saul Tigh. He’s an admiral now. He...pulled some strings.”

Kara’s face was thoughtful. “That explains a lot actually. I’d wondered...” She trailed off but Lee barely heard her, wrapped in his own guilt now. He should’ve put his foot down for once. Zak would be okay.

He took a deep shuddering breath. Zak _had to be_ okay.

Suddenly Kara’s hand twisted under his, her fingers threading between Lee’s and she squeezed him back. “We’re a pair, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lee agreed, sheepishly. His eyes caught Kara’s and he wondered if this was just two strangers at their most vulnerable, offering each other comfort, or if there was something more here. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to Kara and caught the strangely intoxicating mix of cinnamon and cigar smoke.

“Mr. Adama?”

He jumped and Kara’s hand slid away from his. They got to their feet and Lee shook the hand of the petite Sagitarron woman in scrubs and a lab coat. Dr. Anastasia Dualla was stitched above the pocket.

“Yes, Doctor. How is Zak?”

“He’s doing very well. The surgery was a success; we were able to repair and reattach both ligaments. He’ll be on crutches for the next few months, but he should have nearly full range of motion back once he’s completely healed.”

“Nearly?” Kara’s voice was tight, as she edged forward next to him, and said, “He wants to be a pilot. Will he fly again?”

The doctor looked pensive and her pause seemed endless. “Well, I don’t see why not. I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility.” He heard Kara give a small sigh of relief next to him and Lee turned to her beaming. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her, hugging her tightly for a minute before he came to his senses and pulled back. Kara was staring at him in surprise, and the only thing sparing Lee from total humiliation was the tiny smile he saw playing on her lips.

Lee cleared his throat, trying not to flush, and asked the doctor, “Can I go in and see him?”

“He’s on some pretty strong pain medication,” she said. “But if you come back in a few hours, he should be lucid.”

Lee nodded. “Thank you Dr. Dualla.”

She moved off down the hall and he turned back to Kara. “So...” Anxiety suddenly shot through Lee, and he jammed his hands in his pockets and rocked onto the sides of his feet. He didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t want her to leave.

“Lee,” Kara suddenly blurted, “I’m gonna tell him.”

“Tell him?” he echoed, confused.

She nodded, her face grim. “I’m gonna talk to Zak. Tell him that flying’s not...not for him. I’ll do my job.” She shrugged a shoulder, looking embarrassed. “Anyway, I just thought you should know.&rdquo Kara nodded again, then stuck her hand out. “It was nice to meet you, Lee Adama.”

He grasped her hand. ‘Nice to meet you too, Kara Thrace.”

“See you around.” Kara smiled and started to let go, but Lee squeezed her hand and tugged her closer, suddenly.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” he blurted.

Her eyes widened, her mouth twisting mirthfully. “Are you asking me on a date, Counselor?”

“Yes. You don’t have a policy about dating your students’ brothers, do you?”

Kara grinned and shook her head. "My policy was about not frakking 'em, technically." And Lee flushed. But then she added. “One condition.” Lee raised a brow, and stared into her glittering eyes. She was close now, and their matched heights meant her face was only inches away from his.

Kara laid out her condition in a low voice. “We go nowhere that will require clothes that need ironing.”

“Deal.” Lee grinned back, shaking her hand and marveling at how a terrible day had turned out so well. Lee had never believed in fate or destiny or even the Gods, but standing in the emergency room at Caprica Veterans Hospital with Kara Thrace's hand in his, he wondered for the first time if he'd been wrong.

It was good to be wrong.

_Coda_ :

_After some negotiation, dinner ended up being at his apartment, and by dessert, it turned out clothes weren’t required at all._


End file.
